The Model and the Photographer
by Tybalt-tisk
Summary: Shiro thought that he would never fall for a model. But here he is...falling hard.
1. First Meetings

"Man, Shiro!" Matt whined, plopping himself onto the sofa next to his best friend while he brought his legs up to rest his feet on the coffee table with a hard thud. "I still can't believe that you get to photograph Allura Altea!"

Shiro shrugged while he cleaned a few of his camera lenses. "I don't think it's a big deal." He inspected one of the lens carefully, making sure it was spotless before he moved on to clean the next one. "She's just another model to me. And I am a photographer so it is kind of my job, ya know."

Matt's head snapped to him with wide eyes and his jaw slack. "Just another model?" he repeated with harsh syllables that made Shiro's eyes roll. "You're kidding me, right? You must be kidding me because Allura Altea is probably - no, she is _hands down_ the hottest model I have ever seen. In the history of ever."

Shiro blew a gentle breeze to blow away the fine fibers that attached to his camera caused by his cloth. He'd need to get a new one soon. "Even hotter than 90s Cindy Crawford?"

Matt opened his mouth, then closed it. Soon, he let out a hard breath through his nose. "Yes." He looked off towards the distance for dramatic effect. "Even hotter than 90s Cindy Crawford."

"You hesitated," Shiro pointed out.

"Allura will do that to a man, Shiro." He was still looking off into the distance. At what? Probably a bird or a plastic bag caught in an updraft. Shiro didn't really care, after 10 years of friendship, he was used to his antics. "She will make you doubt everything you thought about everything."

Shiro snorted. "You say those exact words about every model that I photograph and it still makes no sense."

Matt looked to Shiro and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, so maybe I do. But this time, Shiro, _this time_ , I mean it." He hitched up his hips so he could reach into his back pocket to pull out a folded piece a paper. He unfolded it to reveal one of Allura's photos he ripped from a fashion magazine. Its edges were frayed from him frantically ripping it out when he found out Shiro was photographing the "love in his life". He probably didn't even notice that the photograph was missing the bottom left side corner.

Shiro raised a brow. "Do you always carry around photos of women in your back pocket?" He attached one of the lenses and took a few test shots of his studio. He frowned when he noticed the lightning was just a tad off.

Matt placed the photo over his heart. "Only when I love them, Shiro." He then held out the photo to his unimpressed friend. "Look at her and I dare you to tell me that she isn't the most beautiful person you have ever seen?"

Shiro didn't need to look at the photo to know what she looked like. He's seen her plenty of times. She was everywhere from televised interviews, to being stopped by TMZ, to being on the front cover of almost every fashion magazine he'd picked up within the last six months. She was the new, "It Girl". With long white flowing hair, dark skin and crystal blue eyes, she definitely had a unique look that made her look almost alien.

Shiro had to admit, she certainly was a pretty girl but he wasn't about to let himself be fooled by her looks. He had been a professional photographer for about five years now. He'd seen many women, and men, that had the look and the heart of a supermodel but tainted their talent with a diva attitude. He's seen the worst of the worst, from the most bratty to the most spoiled. Many of them came into his studio with ridiculous demands before they were even in front of his camera.

He loved his job, he really did. It's just the snooty models that he hated. He thanked his parents and his military background for blessing him with his legendary patience because without it, he was sure that he wouldn't be where he was now in his career.

Pushing the photo aside, Shiro laughed. "I don't know, man," he said in a teasing voice while he adjusted the lighting in the studio to allow more natural light to flood the area. "Have you seen my baby cousin, Miko? Now _that's_ a beautiful baby."

Matt made a face, then nodded with a pulled frown. "Okay, yeah, you right. You right. Miko is the cutest fucking baby I have ever seen in the entire existence of my life. And that bowl cut!? Are you serious? She's serving looks for days! Should've named that baby Jolene because she could steal my man at any given moment."

"Steal your man?" Shiro let out a deep chuckle. "You aren't even gay."

Matt followed Shiro around the studio while the taller man went through his mental checklist to make sure everything went smoothly for the day, the crumpled photo still in his hands. When Shiro stopped, Matt took the chance to prop up an elbow on his shoulder. He had to stand on the balls of his feet to be comfortable with Shiro's height. "But you know what I am gay for, Shiro?"

Shiro sent him a smirk. He placed a hand on Matt's shoulder before he began in a serious tone, "I'm sorry, buddy, but I only see you as a friend." He quickly sidestepped and Matt lost in balance.

Matt regained his composure. "No, but listen Linda. Listen. Let me finish, rudeness." He held out the wrinkled photo to Shiro. "I'm gay...for our friendship. And you know how friendship is a two-way street? Well Daddy, ya boy needs a favor."

Shiro made a disgusted face. "I never want to hear you call me that ever again. Who told you to call me that? Was it Keith?" It was probably Keith.

"Sorry, Pops." That was...better? "And yeah, it was Keith." That asshole. "But Papa Linda, you aren't listening." Shiro let out a sigh as he felt a headache coming on. He knew exactly where this conversation was going but he wanted to let his best friend finish making a fool of himself. "I just need. I really want an autograph. From Allura." Cue puppy dog eyes. "Please."

Shiro folded his arms with a straight face, completely unaffected by Matt's not-so-secret weapon.

"Oh come on, Shiro! "Matt yelled. "I never ask you for anything. When was the last time I asked you for a favor?"

"Last night when you needed $24.61 for pizza, breadsticks, and a lava cake from the shittiest pizzeria in town that doubles as the shittiest bakery on the west coast."

Matt took a step back offended and shook his head. "Okay, okay, First of all, its top 18, at best." Who has a top 18 of anything? "And second, I forgot my wallet at Pidgey's place! What do you want me to do? _Starve?!_ Like some potato farmer? I'm a growing boy, Shiro! I needs my meats! And third, yeah you're right. That lava cake was trash and I was left disappointment."

Shiro raised a brow. "I thought you were a vegetarian?"

"That was the old me, Shiro," Matt told him. "I'm just...always hungry. All the time. But hey, don't distract me! Shiro, I really need this. If you get this autograph for me, I will _never_ ask you for another favor _ever_ again." He dropped to his knees and brought his hands together in a begging motion. "I promise. Cross my heart and swear to never use your money on the 18th best pizzeria in town ever again."

Shiro closed his eyes. Matt was as dramatic as those theatre kids who walk the hallways singing the lyrics to Hamilton. But he could tell that this autograph was really important to him. Hopefully, this Allura woman didn't think it was for himself because that would be kind of creepy. _Hey, I know I just spent the majority of the day taking your picture but you can sign this crumpled up one that looks like it belongs under my pillow?_ Yeah, no thank you.

"Fine," Shiro caved with a sigh. Matt rose from his knees to wrap his arms around Shiro. "But don't think I won't forget our little deal."

"Oh happy day! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank y-"

He patted Matt's back a couple of times. "That's enough of that. Now get going. I still need to set up a couple of things before your 'Crush of the Month' gets here." He peeled away his friend before he set out to organize his backup cameras just in case something happened to the one he had chosen for the photoshoot.

"Crush of the Month? Our love will last forever, just you watch," Matt told him as he gathered his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder and across his chest.

He made his way to the back door that led to the back alley. "Thanks again, Abba-leh. And good luck today and try not to fall in love with my woman. She's mine." He sang the last part with a wave before he was out the door, leaving the studio filled with silence.

Shiro knew he only had a short amount of time before his crew arrived to help finish set up the area. With the help of Matt, he already set up the majority of the area. P

As nonchalant as he was with Matt, he was actually really nervous about this shoot. Allura was a huge name in the industry and if everything went right, it could skyrocket his career. But if things went wrong...she had the potential to sink his career along with all of the hard work he put into it. That very thing almost happened a year ago when some up-and-coming model had threatened to put him out of business because she argued that he only shot her bad side. He offered her reshoots but she declined them all. If it wasn't for the fact that she personally knew Keith, she would have gone to the tabloids to slander his name.

From then on, he felt like he had to give up his role as the leader and take the backburner in his own studio. Whatever the models wanted, especially the ones with star power, he made sure it happened out of the fear that they might tank him. Even if they were terrible ideas, he would try to compromise but most of the time, he gave up his creative control, relying on his talent to save the project. It was something he dreaded most for the upcoming day, giving up his control.

He did his homework, of course. He did a little research on Allura to see her work ethic and how she carried herself. To his surprise he read some very positive reviews. She was always on time, extremely easy to work with, always took beautiful shots, knew how to work with what she had, and not so much as an eye roll. It put Shiro at ease a bit but he still remained skeptical.

No one was _that_ perfect.

He set off to add some finishing touches on things he could do by himself. The theme of the shoot was, "Royal Flush". The model was supposed to embody the role of several princesses. All of the gowns were meant to represent some form of elegance that only a princess could possess.

It wasn't long before he heard a commotion outside. Rushing feet followed by high pitched screams of admiration. "Look like the princess has arrived," he said to himself. He could only hope that Allura wouldn't act like a spoiled princess many of the other models did.

Soon, the back door whooshed open and in walked in a horde of people followed by dozens of flashes. He should have known that where there were screaming fans, there were always dozens of paparazzi not far behind. The two often went hand in hand.

He focused on the mass of people who suddenly entered his studio. He recognized a few as his crew and there were others he didn't recognize. They must be apart of Allura's team.

Everyone either had a jacket that covered their heads or an umbrella. Shiro didn't even realize that it was raining. He had been so busy getting everything ready, he didn't even hear the shallow drops that hit the roof above him. In the middle of the crowd was a giant pink umbrella that spread out wide enough to cover maybe two people. It was used to hide from the rain and quite possibly the aggressive paparazzi waiting outside just to get the perfect shot he knew he was getting in just a few short hours.

Shiro watched as his team separated from the model's. He instructed his crew to dry off then finish moving the heavier props and backdrops into place in time for the shoot before he made his way over to the model.

When the crowd thinned out, he could see the figure standing with the giant umbrella. She did her best to shake off the excess water away from anybody or any equipment. She was a lot taller than he had originally thought she was. She was almost, maybe taller than he was and he was pushing 6'3". She wore dark pants and a heavy navy blue coat with matching gloves. Dark shades covered her eyes and a hood pulled over her head to serve as extra protection from the rain. Pieces of her white hair poked out from under the hood ungracefully and fanned around covering the majority of her face.

He quickly strode over to introduce himself. He wanted to get on good terms quickly. The rain looked like it already put a damper on her mood as she struggled aggressively to close the giant, pink umbrella. He wanted to get on her good side now before she was too far to reach. He's seen a model when they get wet unexpectedly. It was not a fun time.

Shiro took the umbrella from her hands. "Here let me help with you that, Miss Altea." He closed it quickly before more water could drip onto the floor. He wiped his hands on his pants to get rid of the water he wasn't spared from and then he reached out with his flesh hand to shake her hand.

Allura didn't move to shake his hand. She only stared at Shiro, dissecting him from behind her shades. _Oh boy, here we go_ , Shiro thought in a bitter tone. She was already about to get on his nerves.

Shiro was about to comment before Allura let out a laugh.

A _deep_ laugh.

Shiro frowned. _That's not a girl's voice_. The person who he thought was Allura pulled off his hood and shades to reveal someone who definitely wasn't the woman he was getting paid to photograph for the next 7 hours. However, he did recognize the tall man. He was always at Allura's side holding her hand whenever she was caught on TMZ. _Boyfriend maybe?_

Shiro suddenly felt embarrassed. He rubbed his hand behind his neck, feeling his face heat up. "O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you in that coat, Mr...?"

The man took the opportunity to introduce himself. "Lotor Galra," the man spoke with posh accent. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Shirogane. Even if is on these rather...awkward terms." He shook off his coat. "One would think that the photographer would do a little more research. Even if it is to tell the difference between his client and a complete stranger who is significantly taller than that of a woman," Lotor finished with a smirk.

Shiro frowned. This guy was an asshole. It was an honest mistake. Not his fault he thought Lotor was a woman. Before he could apologize again, another voice/spoke, "Oh, shut up, Lotor." A boy with a short brown hair cut in. "You're just mad because Shiro thought you were a girl. If you didn't act like such a snob, then it wouldn't happen. Because, my guy, who wears gloves in 78-degree weather? Ya ass."

Lotor sneered and rolled his eyes then walked passed Shiro to scope out the rest of the building.

"Hey, sorry about that." The boy said, disapproving Lotor's attitude. "That's Lotor. He's a jackass but a softy...I guess. I'm Lance McClain: Makeup Extraordinaire." Did he just do jazz hands? "I'm Allura's makeup artist. And also her manager for the day. Coran couldn't be here today."

Shiro smiled. At least this boy was friendlier than his first encounter. "I'm Shiro, but you already knew that." He look around at the wet staff. "If I had known it was raining, I would have brought out some towels for everyone."

Lance laughed. "A little rain ain't never hurt nobody. With the way Lotor was dressed, you would think it was raining acid. I guess witches can't get wet or else they'll melt!" he yelled the last part in hopes that Lotor heard it.

"I'll burn your entire house down, plebeian." Came a threat from the back of the studio. For some reason, Shiro believed him.

Shiro frowned and looked around. He didn't see anyone there that fit the description of the woman he was set to photograph. If that person who he thought was Allura wasn't her, then where was the model?

He focused back on Lance. "Hey, Lance. So, uh...where is Allura?" he asked, hoping to not sound alarmed. He hoped this wasn't the one time she was late to a photo shoot. They really had a big day ahead of them.

Lance made a confused sound and looked around the studio. He turned his head, craned his neck, and walked around in a short distance. He stretched his head. "Where is she? She was just here." He was talking more to himself than to Shiro. Lance brought his hands to his mouth to project his voice. "Lotor, where's Lu?" he called out across the studio, knowing that Lotor was within earshot.

"Melting." He sounded entertained at the thought.

Lance thought for a second then his eyes went wide. "Shit!" He cursed while he shrugged off his jacket and held it over his body. "She's still out there!?" He immediately went back out the door and returned shortly with a woman smothered under his green jacket.

She laughed when he ruffled her hair under through his jacket. "I'm sorry, Lance! Those girls said that they were waiting for hours! I couldn't just leave them there in the rain with nothing to show for it."

Lance smiled. "I know, but we gotta job to do, 'Lura," he told her. He was still holding the jacket over her head when he made a disapproving face. "Nu-uh, nope. That pout won't work on me. _I_ taught you that pout. Hey, at least they all got their selfies, that should be enough to hold them over until next time, don't you think?" His tone ended on a comforting note.

Shiro heard a muffled sigh from under the coat. He almost laughed at how cute she sounded. This isn't what he expected. A supermodel outside in the rain signing autographs and taking selfies with every one of her fans? It was a surprise for him to see a model behave like this. Most models just came in and ignored both the fans and him.

"I think your hair is about dry," Lance said as he gave her hair one more ruffle, making her head shake back and forth. She gave a playful whine at the treatment. "Hopefully Nyma won't be too mad that she has to wrangle this bird's nest into something high fashion. Imma go grab a towel to dry the rest of you off. Don't move or you'll get water everywhere." With that, Lance ventured off in search of towels.

"There's towels on the shelves in the back room on the far right," Shiro called after him. "I have plenty, feel free to pass them around to whoever needs them."

Shiro looked back towards Allura, the real Allura, just as she took off Lance's jacket from around her head and face. And for the first time, Shiro got to get a look at her up close.

Lance was right, her hair was a mess and it looked like a bitch to get manageable again. The rain caused it revert back to its naturally curly texture and it still somehow perfectly framed her face. Long, thick lashes, still coated with rainwater, surrounded the bluest eyes Shiro had ever seen. Her lipstick, that once painted her plump lips pink, was now smudged across her chin and some even stained her teeth because of Lance's harsh treatment. Her tank top rode up slightly and clung to her body in all the right places and he was pretty sure that one of her shoes were missing.

She looked like an absolute mess. She looked like she was out in the rain for hours instead of minutes. She was truly the definition of a disaster. She was - She looked - She-S-

 _She was fucking gorgeous._

Shiro doesn't think he'd ever been left speechless before. Matthew was right about her - she was breathtaking. The photographs don't do her justice because nothing can compare to seeing her standing before him now...even in her unfortunate state.

Shiro watcher her lips move but he heard no sound leave them. All he heard was the sound of his own heart pounding wildly in his chest and the sound of his own blood rushing to his head.

He was embarrassing himself.

Yes, he knew that. But could he stop? Probably not. Did he want to stop? Hell no. He's falling for her but he's doing nothing to catch himself and when he hits the ground, he knows he won't even try to get back up.

When her beautiful lips moved again, he forced himself to listen to the words they formed. When he focused, he could vaguely make them out: Are you alright?

All too suddenly, his world reformed back around him. "Huh?" He tried to play it off. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm cool." He cleared his throat. _Play it cool, Shiro._ "I'm fantastic," he spoke in a cracked voice. It definitely wasn't his most masculine moment. _Fuck, Shiro, you stupid bitch._

Allura let out a beautiful laugh and Shiro mentally groaned. It was the sweetest sound he's ever heard. Does she have to laugh like an angel? He's not even funny, why was she laughing?

"Okay," she said with a dazzling smile. "I'm just making sure. It's about time we had a proper introduction, yeah? However, I can't say it cant qualify as too proper considering I look like I was hit by a tornado carrying a horde of angry cats."

Oh, that voice. _That accent._ Was she always British? She could tell him to jump off of the fucking Golden Gate Bridge and he'd do a flip on the way down just to go the extra mile. _'Okay, focus Shiro._ _Focus_ ,' he scolded himself. She was a just like every other model that came in his studio. He still had no idea how her attitude would change once she got dolled up.

Shiro straightened up and put on his charm. "That's why we have a hair and makeup team, I'm sure they can get you glammed up,"

Is what he _thought_ he said.

However, the dork in him came out and only replied with, "Catnado." Allura gave me a strange look, as her brain tried to understand his made up word. When she did finally understand, she threw her head back with a laugh. A beautiful laugh. There she goes again with that bullshit.

She pulled herself together. "A catnado, huh?" She took a step forward and Shiro felt his heart leap. "I suppose that's somewhat clever. However you can do better, I'm sure," she teased with a smile.

Shiro shrugged. "Cycat." She cocked her head to the side, and her silver curls followed her movement. He was mesmerized but managed to explain himself. "...Like...a cyclone? ...But with cats."

When she still didn't respond, Shiro let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "See? I can't do better."

Her laughed lightened the mood. "Ah, at least you know your comedic limitations. I admire that." She took another step forward, almost invading his personal space but stopped just short of it. "We Brits aren't really known for our sense of humor." She beamed up a him and it was then that he noticed just how blue her eyes truly were.

She stood with her back straight and her head held up high, exuding confidence. "Well, I do believe that it's time for introductions." She stuck out her hand for a handshake. "Allura Altea. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Shirogane. I've heard so many wonderful things about you and your work," she praised.

It took a split second for Shiro to access the situation he found himself in. When he did introductions, he liked to be the first to extend his hand in a greeting because it gave him the freedom of offering his flesh hand as opposed to his prosthetic, forcing most people to use their non dominant hand. Not that he was ashamed of prosthetic, he just didn't want to take people by surprise when they gripped the hard metal. Especially the models. He had one girl long ago refuse to even get near him because she was so disturbed by it.

He mentally scolded himself for allowing her to control the handshake. Now he had no choice but to follow her lead and offer his prosthetic. His eyes never left hers when their hands touched. He sighed in relief when she didn't show any indication that she was uncomfortable with the contact.

He couldn't help but smile at her reaction but also saddened that he couldn't feel her hand through the metal. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Altea. But please, call me Shiro."

She giggled. "Okay, Shiro." He never thought his name would sound so good. "But now you have to address me simply as Allura. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

Before he was to allowed to drown in her blue eyes, Lance came back draping a thick towel around Allura. "Alright, alright come on, 'Lura," he said, wrapping the towel around her body trying to dry her off. "We're already a behind schedule because you wanted to release your inner Hilary Duff with all this rain. I'll have Hunk bring you in some dry clothes. Now go finish drying off so Nyma can get started on your hair for your first look. You have…" he checked his cell phone for the time. "An hour and thirteen minutes!"

Allura hugged the towel tighter around herself. "Alright, alright." She turned to leave to the dressing rooms towards the back of the studio, but before she left she turned towards Shiro. "See you soon, Shiro. Can't wait to see what you have planned." She gave a wink. Shiro could only give an awkward wave in return.

Lance patted Shiro's back in a knowing fashion. "We're gonna have a good time today, Shiro. Trust me." Soon, he left in the same direction she had went.

He finally felt his heartbeat return to normal. Today was going to be a long day because he knew that she was going to be the death of him.

While Allura and her team worked to get the model together, Shiro decided to check out the wardrobe brought it so he can make some last minutes adjustments to the set. Most were long, elegant gowns by both famous and local designers. Allura's team already knew the exact order of everything. The hair, the makeup, the outfits were already predetermined. Shiro's job was to simply capture the beauty of the gowns and Allura on camera.

Seeing how dark the first set of gowns were, Shiro decided to let in more natural light. The gloomy skies above would give a unique effect to the gown as well as compliment Allura's complexion.

Soon, everything was into place. The cameras were fully charged, cleaned, and ready for a long day of shooting for a magazine he never thought of reading. He sat down in his chair and waited for Allura to make her entrance.

When he heard the sounds of heels clicking on the hardwood floors, he stood and got his camera ready.

Shiro held his breath as he watched her approach. As he suspected, she wore the dark blue gown first. It was truly an elegant piece. Probably worth more than him, his studio, and apartment combined. The gown was made of a heavy material and it had a high collar that left her shoulders and back bare. She wore thousands of dollars worth in crystals and gold.

Her makeup was dramatic. Lance placed dark shadow around her eyes that gave her eyes piercing yet haunting look. Her lips were painted a deep red and her blush was harsh. Her silver hair has pulled back into a low bun. It was messy, but at the same time, he could tell that each curl was meticulously placed. Finally, atop her head sat a golden crown. She looked like royalty. Like an empress.

"Sorry if getting together took longer than you're usually used to." Her voice snapped him out of his stupor. He turned his wrist to check the time. She was two minutes ahead of schedule.

Shiro cleared his throat and pretended he was messing with something on his camera so he could make himself stop staring at her. "You're just on time, actually. I'm impressed," he told her with a lopsided grin.

She gave him a smirk. "Impressed that I clean up nicely or that I'm on time with two minutes to spare?"

He challenged her smirk with one of his own. "Both." He pointed his camera at her before he snapped a picture. He reviewed the photo to make sure the set complimented both her skin and the gown. "You came a long way from looking like an drowned alley cat," he teased.

He feared that he went too far with his response until he heard her laugh. "Oh, so you _are_ funny?" she responded as she gathered her dress so she was able to walk onto the busy set. As gently as she could in such an extravagant dress, she sat down on the vintage couch. Immediately, her team followed her to smooth out any wrinkles or straighten out where the material had bunched up. She kept her eyes perfectly still when Lance strode over to apply more mascara to them. "And here I thought you were only capable of making shitty puns." Her accent made the lighthearted insult sound almost like a compliment.

Shiro blinked. _So this kitten's got claws?_ Such language from a beautiful girl was...kind of a turn on if he was being honest with himself. Even in such an expensive...well everything, he could tell that she didn't take his remark seriously.

Lance snorted from his position over Allura. "Yeah, dude. 'Catnado'? Wow. - Look up real quick, babe. - I'm almost embarrassed for you. Because c'mon, you can do better than that."

"I can't," he told him with shrugged shoulders.

"He really can't." Ouch.

When her eyes met his, he took another picture. He frowned when he realized that it still wasn't the lighting he wanted. "And that's why I'm a photographer and not a comedian," he told them.

He came to the decision that all the artificial lighting that wasn't directly from his camera wasn't going to work on this dress. He turned off the lamp directly to his left and instructed his crew to turn off the rest. He only kept the reflectors to help distribute and guide the flashes from his camera.

He set down the camera and approached her. "Alright, Miss Al-" he heard her tisk and he quickly corrected himself. "Alright, Allura. Are you ready?"

She nodded with a bright smile, careful not to disturb the curls at the base of her neck. "More than ever."

"Well okay." He turned back to pick up his camera. "Let's get started, then. Remember we have a long day ahead of us. If you need a break, don't hesitate to ask."

"I may look like royalty, Shiro but I assure you, I am far from a princess. I'm sure I can handle whatever you decide to dish out," she said with a wink.

 _Well just fuck me up._

"How do you want me?" she asked innocently and he almost choked on air.

"Excuse me?" he tried his best to recollect himself. In the distance, he heard Lance howl with laughter and a couple of his team laughed quietly along with him. His felt his cheeks flare up with heat.

Allura blinked at him owlishly with well rehearsed fake innocence. "I said, 'how do you want me?' As in, do you want me standing or sitting? How do you want my face? This is your vision. I am only here to help you interpret that to an audience."

A familiar voice spoke from the side. "Are you sure this isn't your first shoot, Mr. Shirogane?" Lotor appeared beside him, smirk still firmly in place. "You seem awfully nervous for someone who has been in the business for almost six years. And, why may I ask, are all the lights switched off? This dress cost thousands. Surely, you would want to highlight its elegance through proper lighting?" he questioned with a hint of sarcasm.

Before Shiro could go through the explanation that the dress doesn't reflect artificial lighting well, Allura intervened. "Lotor, this isn't your studio," she informed him sternly. "It's Shiro's. He knows exactly what he is doing. That's why he was hired for the job. Now let the man work."

Shiro stood in shock. It was unexpected that she openly gave him creative control over this project. It showed that she trusted him. He smiled then instructed Allura how he wanted to showcase the gown.

~•xXx•~

73 frames in and Shiro was convinced that Allura's eyes were the most expressive he's ever seen. She conveyed such a wide range of emotion with her eyes alone. It only took her a split second to completely change the feel of the photo.

He was elated that he didn't have to do much to direct her on what he wanted from her. She handled everything on her own. If he went in for a low angle, she held her head up high towards the skylight to give the illusion that she appeared taller than what she actually was. Whatever he gave her, she tried her best to compliment every angle he shot her at and it matched up perfectly with his vision.

The downside to using the natural world as his source of lighting was that it was unpredictable. It was still gloomy outside, but the sun was overhead so it covered the room in a greyish blue hue.

He let his camera hang from the strap around his neck as he sent out another request. "Allura, can you give me a longing look while we still have this cloud over us? I want to try something out."

She nodded and almost immediately, she had transformed into someone else. She allowed her lips part slightly and her eyes held the expression of someone who was light years away. The shadows in the room not only gave the dress a different hue but it also dulled and aged the expensive jewelry she wore, as if they hadn't been polished in years. She looked exactly like a queen who no longer had a people to rule over, as if she had lost them to time.

Shiro was blown away. "Perfect." He took a couple more shots then set his camera down. He stood and stretched his back. "That's a wrap for the first set, everyone."

He approached Allura. She was no longer far away. She was right here with him. Eyes sparkling like the sun over the ocean. She smiled up at him from the couch. "Well?" She raised a brow. "How did I do?" she asked him honestly.

"Magnificent," he told her without hesitation. "Honestly, I'm blown away. You exceeded my expectations."

She laughed. "I told you I was no princess, Shiro." And she was right. She was an absolute goddess.

"Okay, Allura back to the chair." Lance was beside her, helping her stand up straight in the tight dress. "We have to move on the next shoot in just under an hour if we want to stay on schedule."

"You act just like a camp counselor, Lance," she told him.

"Damn right. All I need is a whistle," he said while guiding her away from the set. "Coran left me in charge for the day and I'm not going to let you flop your way through it like some…?"

"Weblum?"

"Yeeeah that. Not today, sister. Now get those shoes off. Here, I brought your slippers." And with that, they were gone deep in the dressing room. There was another grueling round of hair pulling and makeup application.

Shiro watched them go. He was being honest when he told her that she was magnificent. He had never experienced anything like her. The way she was able to have complete control her expression but she somehow made them editorial. It was breathtaking.

~•xXx•~

The hours ticked by and he next two shoots went off without a single problem. He was an expert behind the camera and she was an expert on camera. He also became more comfortable around her. He was no longer tied tongued when she spoke to him or teased him. He learned that he could dish it right back to her and it only made her smile more.

Now, they were setting up for 4th shoot. This set had the theme of an enchanted forest. Complete with fake trees, grass and flowers. He was grateful they were fake because he didn't think his crew liked sneezing every few seconds because of the pollen floating around.

Before he knew it, Allura was approaching him. This dress was straight out of a fairytale. The lilac chiffon and lace material hung casually off her shoulders and it was so light that it flowed gracefully behind her as she strode forward. Her hair was down in soft waves with several small braids and several flowers were woven into them. The tiara was replaced by a circlet made of vines. Her makeup was whimsical. Her eyes were completely surrounded with pink pigment as if were a mask and her lips were bare with the exception of a vertical white line that went directly down the center. If she had elongated ears, she would look just like a magical elf in her secret garden.

It wasn't until she sat down in the middle of the field did Shiro realize that she was barefoot. For this shoot, the dress was more forgiving so he allowed the artificial lighting to flow through the set.

He stood atop a ladder, looking down on her. He was changing on the bulbs in one of the taller lamps. "You ready to rock and roll, Princess?" he winked.

She retaliated at the nickname by slightly shaking his ladder. Shiro quickly found his balance and laughed nervously. He shook his head in fake disappointment. "Who would have thought that the Allura Altea would be capable of murder?"

She rolled her eyes. "And who would have thought that the Takashi Shirogane would be taken out by such a small woman by means of falling from a 3ft ladder?"

Hearing her say is first name made his chest tighten. He knew he was falling again. He knew it. He felt it. He was going to do nothing about it.

He turned his attention towards the bulb so she wouldn't see his face flush. "Ya know, that'd make a really good episode on one of those murder porn shows. I can picture it now, 'The Photographer, The Model and The 3ft Ladder.' He laughed at his own joke and was delighted to hear her laugh along with him. He inspected the bulb closer and noticed dirt had collected on the surface. "Hey, can you do me a favor and pass me that towel on that chair?"

She did as she told and when she handed him the towel, Shiro's hand brushed against hers briefly. It was just as soft as he imagined. "Can I get you anything else, Mr. Shirogane? Maybe a lemonade? Or a single Oreo?" She was teasing him.

He played along. "No, lemonade is too sweet and no one can just have one Oreo." As he climbed down, he took the chance to wipe the rest the lamp. "A good night's rest seems like a good deal, though." That came out wrong. Really wrong. He didn't want her to think of him as some creep who promised her more money if she spent the night with him.

He opened his mouth to apologize for the easily misread comment but she was already talking, "Naughty naughty, Shiro." She placed her hand over her chest in fake offense. "What kind of girl do you take me for? At least take me out to dinner first." Her voice danced with humor.

Shiro watched her. Did she just...ask him out on a date? She couldn't have. She was just having a friendly banter with him. This was all in good fun.

A sudden burst of claps interrupted what he was going to say next. "Alright people." When did Lance get a clipboard? "Shoot 4 is going down in T-minus 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Places people." Did he think he was on a hollywood movie set?

Allura rolled her eyes at his behavior. "Keep that up and I'll tell Coran you're out to steal his job."

"They call me Mister Steal Yo Job," he told her, jotting things down on a clipboard.

"Do they, Lance?" she asked sarcastically with a straight face. "Do they?"

Lance began to click his pen rapidly on the clipboard that definitely wasn't his. "Yes, Allura...yes they do. Now let's get going. We have 3 more scenes to shoot today." Out of his pocket, he fished out a tube of chapstick. He went to Allura who immediately puckered her lips out to allow him to apply it. When he was done, he popped his lips and she immediately followed suit.

Allura stood in the middle of the "garden" and waited for Shiro to pick up his camera. Her eyes danced with mischief as they watched him. "Where do you want me, Shiro?"

This time, he was ready. "Just stand there for the a moment." He brought his camera up to take a test shot. He reviewed the photo. She had her eyes crossed with her tongue sticking out. He laughed at the silly face, but took note that he liked how the garment reflected light. "Alright, Allura. Do what you do best." And she did.

The next half hour, he once again found himself completely infatuated with her. Every pose was perfection, every subtle movement was meticulously planned and he snapped it all.

Everything was going perfectly until they ran into a little problem.

He imagined a pose that he wanted her to try and she only looked confused at his instructions. She cocked her head to the side and tried to move her body the way he wanted her to, but it just came off as uncomfortable.

She stood up and moved away from the area and gestured towards the patch of grass. "Could you maybe...show me?" She obviously wanted him to show her exactly what pose he was thinking of.

Shiro let out a nervous chuckle. Sure, he had the body of a model because he worked out 4 times a week, but he was far from one. He had the social awkwardness of a kid who was forced to sing at the school's talent show and he was also camera shy. A long scar on the bridge of your nose will do that to a person.

He set down his camera on a nearby stool and made his way to the area. He laid on his back and brought his arms up to rest of his over his head in a casual manner. "So with the beading that lines the seams, I figured the designer would also want to showcase that. Having your arms out the way and positioned like this will add a fantasy element to the photo."

Allura's eyes beamed hiding a mischievous smile. "Oh that's a wonderful idea. Care to share anymore ideas?"

He nodded. "Maybe this kind of pose would also work?" He shifted until he rested on his stomach. He honestly had no idea what to do with his hands, so he just rested them under his head like he was taking pictures at the mall. Just as he was about to do another pose, he heard her laugh.

He heard everyone laugh, actually.

He looked around with furrowed brows. "What?" he asked out.

Allura tried not to laugh too hard because she didn't want to ruin her makeup. "C-could you show me the second pose again?" she asked through a fit a giggles.

Raised a brow but did as he was told, "Yeah, sure but what's so funny?" he questioned. "I'm trying to show…" it dawned on him. "...a model how to...model." He let out a groan. He looked to her. "You're just fuckin with me, aren't you? You knew exactly how I wanted you to pose."

She couldn't hold back anymore and she erupted with laughter. "I'm sorry, Shiro," she managed to say through her laughter. She used to hands to fan away tears that may have formed. "I just wanted to see if you'd actually do it."

Shiro felt his face heat up with embarrassment as he let his head fall. He must of have looked ridiculous rolling around in the grass like he was some top heavy garden gnome.

He suddenly felt the heat of a body beside him. He didn't need to look up to know exactly who it was. He could smell her sweet perfume and feel the ends of her soft hair caressing the nape of his neck as she leaned over him.

"I truly am sorry, Shiro," she whispered into his ear and he felt his face grow hotter. "If it helps you feel any better, you looked damn good posing like you were in a JC Penny catalogue. Maybe I could photograph you some time and show you how a real model does it?" she proposed with a soft giggle.

Was she flirting with him? As inappropriate as it might seem, given that they were on work hours, he tested the waters a bit.

He peeked at her from under the fort he built with his arms. "You just want to see me shirtless," she said with a boyish grin.

If she was taken aback by his comment, she didn't show it. She moved closer to him so only he could hear her. "Maybe I do." Her voice was downright sinful and he had to repress the shiver that raced up his spine. Just as quick as she was there, she was suddenly gone, putting distance between them. It was a bittersweet moment for him.

She poked at his side. "Now, move so I can do my job and get out of this dress."

Shiro sat up and watched her. "So now you're bossing me around?" She held out her hands to help him into a standing position. He doesn't think he'll ever forget how soft her hands are.

They switch positions and she proceeded to do the exact pose he wanted, only she did it better than he could ever imagine. He stood on the ladder he had earlier so he could photograph her from above.

It was a mistake. From this angle, it was definitely more private because only he saw her at the moment. They were in their own separate world. Sure, the others could see her body, but only he saw her body language. He saw the way her fingers danced on the edge of her lips. He saw her back arched just right. He saw the way her eyes wouldn't leave his.

He cleared his throat. "Can you look that way for a couple of seconds, Allura?" She was beautiful the way she was, but he didn't know what was going to happen if she kept looking at him like that.

He forced himself to look away. "I - uh, I think we got it," he announced. "That's a wrap."

He climbed down the ladder and noticed that she hadn't moved from her spot and her eyes were still glued to him.

He towered over her and squatted down. "What?"

She raised a perfectly arched brow. "Aren't you going to help me up?"

He laughed, but offered his hand out anyway. "I thought you were no princess?"

She took his offered hand. "You are correct, but I am a lady, Shiro." He hoisted her up and her body pressed into his and he did nothing to put distance between them. In the back of his mind, he was vaguely aware that their hands were still connected between them. Without her shoes on, he noticed just how much shorter she was than him.

Someone cleared their throat and both immediately put distance between them. It was Lotor. Shiro almost forgot about the man. He was never on set, instead he chose to always stand in the shadows of the studio.

Lotor approached the two. His golden eyes watched Shiro with an unreadable expression. The silver haired man then offered his arm to Allura who took it without question. "Would you please excuse us, Mr. Shirogane?" He then led her to a secluded part of the studio where they could talk privately.

Shiro watched them talk. Lotor had his arms folded over his chest while she mimicked his stance. He couldn't hear what they were saying but they both looked irritated with the other.

Shiro groaned. It had slipped his mind that she already had a boyfriend. Here he was, a lesser known photographer falling in love with a supermodel who was completely out of his league. He mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. She was only being nice to him and he had mistaken it for flirtation.

He peeked at the talking couple again. Their body language had changed completely. Lotor had one of his hands on her shoulder and the other under her chin to make her look up at him. He was saying something in what looked like a gentle voice. She nodded slowly in response and pressed into him with a hug and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead in return. Shiro felt a tinge of j rise within

The two parted and made their way back to the photographer. Lotor went on to talk to Lance while Allura approached Shiro. He noticed that she avoided his eyes. He didn't know why his heart felt so heavy. Maybe because he knew that whatever spark that was between them was extinguished.

"Everything alright?" he asked. The thought that he did something to threaten the couple's relationship sat wrong with him. He was no homewrecker.

She hesitated before she answered. "Yes," She started to rub her arm. "Everything is fine. I just…" she bit her lip while she struggled to find the right words.

"Lotor thinks that we need to take a break. I got carried away and hadn't noticed the time. He gets upset when I do that. I have a tendency to," she brought her fingers up to do air quotes, "'overwork myself.'' She said her statement with a mocking voice and ended with a pout.

Shiro looked at his watch. "He's right. I hadn't noticed the time, either," he admitted sheepishly. Time did get away from them. It was already close to 5 and they have been shooting since 10:30 that morning. He felt guilty to putting both Allura and their crews through that. "Lunch does sound good right about now."

Allura perked up. "Lance already asked your crew for the opinion of what they wanted for lunch. They came to a consensus to order Thai," she said. Suddenly her face was serious. "You right like Thai food, right?"

"I'm a slut for Thai food." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. He completely blamed Matt for the outburst. His best friend was always a slut for everything.

He immediately felt his heart flutter when he heard her laugh harder than she had all day. "Wow. Well, I'm happy to hear that your crew knows you well enough."

Allura heard Lance calling her from the dressing room. "I have to go get out of this dress. The food should be here shortly though. We ordered enough for everyone to a least get seconds."

He thanked her and as she turned to leave, he reached out to grab her arm. She turned her body back to him in question. "Yes, Shiro?" she asked with her head cocked to the side. Why was she so fucking cute?

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I crossed the line, earlier. I didn't mean for your boyfriend get upset."

Her brows came together in confusion. "My boyfriend?"

"Yeah...Lotor. He's your boyfriend, right?"

Her eyes went wide and she almost doubled over in laughter. "Lotor? My boyfriend?!" she repeated loudly, drawing in the attention of people who were nearby. "You think Lotor and I are dating? Heavens no!" She looked for Lotor in the crowd and shouted out to him, "Lotor! Shiro thinks we're dating!"

"She wishes, Shirogane," came bored reply.

Shiro was confused.

Allura got herself together long enough to explain. "Sorry, that's just too funny. However, I can't fully blame you for thinking that," she told him while she wiped away tears from the corner of her eyes. "Our relationship is only for show. Along with fame comes some very...enthusiastic fans. The reason why he's always by my side in public is for safety reasons. He sort of intimidates people who think they can boldly grab at me. I can handle myself just fine, but he insist that I bring him with along with me for precautions."

"I hope that clears things up between us, Shiro," she said simply with a wink. "I must get going before Lance blows a whistle." Then she turned to leave.

He watched her as she walked away. In the distance, he vaguely heard a whistle but the only thing on his mind was:

 _She's single._


	2. Getting To Know You

Just as Allura promised, the food arrived within the next 15 minutes and it couldn't have been more perfect timing. It wasn't until the savory scent reached Shiro that he realize how hungry he actually was. He was sure the rest of the crew was just as hungry. His hunger increased when he found out that the food was from his favorite Thai restaurant just a few blocks away.

After he made sure everything was ready for the final shoot, he made himself a plate and went to his office. Usually, he ate with his team during their lunch break but he needed to go over a contract sent by a high-end company seeking a collaboration with him. The contract wasn't due until next week but he hated leaving things to the last minute.

Also, he was terrible at reading business jargon. He swears that these contracts used tricky English to confuse and ultimately trap poor souls into a contractual obligation with unfair conditions. 3,000 suckers are born a day and he was not about to be one of them.

Just as he was about to enjoy his food, he heard Lance's voice filter in. Concerned about the temporary manager's tone, he peeked his head out of the doorway to see what was going on.

There Lance was, following Allura around the studio. The model's hair and makeup were the same as the last shoot with the exception of the vine circlet. Her flowing gown was replaced with a short pink robe and white, fuzzy slippers.

"'Lura, can you please sit down and eat already?" Lance sounded desperate as he tried to reason with her. "Everybody has food, I promise!"

Allura gave him a reassuring smile. "I know, Lance," she said as she walked past him with her head held high. "I just need to double check. All of these people worked hard today. The least I can do is make sure that everyone is fed." She continued to check every corner of the studio to make sure that every single member of Shiro's team, as well as her own, were enjoying their late lunch.

Lance was suddenly in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "Allura, I personally made sure that everyone has a meal. Yes, I made sure there are vegetarian options. And yes before you ask, I did give the delivery boy a nice tip. Everyone is happy so that means it's time for you to relax."

Unconvinced, Allura looked at him with folded arms. She raised a brow. "What about Nyma?"

"Already on her second plate," he replied quickly, pointing her in the direction of her hair stylist, who was, as Lance had promised, on her second plate.

"And you made sure to order Hunk's favorite type of pad thai?" Hunk wasn't a picky eater in the slightest but she wanted to make sure that he didn't settle.

"He did!" Came Hunk's reply from behind her. Her bodyguard sat with a girl from Shiro's team. Her name was Shay if Allura remembered correctly.

The girl sat with her back towards Allura, giving the model the chance to give Hunk two thumbs up while she nodded enthusiastically at the two. " _Ooh, she so cute_ ," she mouthed silently towards him. Hunk's blush intensified before he nodded subtly.

Allura smirked. She was definitely going make sure Hunk got the woman's number before they left. Too ready to play matchmaker, Allura turned her attention back to Lance, eyes ablaze with determination to not mind her own damn business. "Lance. We need to ma-"

Lance held his hands up. "I know, I know and I'm already on it," he said, cutting her off with a smile. "I did a little research on her while you were rolling on the ground giving Papí Chulo bedroom eyes."

Shiro blinked. Was _he_ Papí Chulo? Shiro took all 4 years of Spanish in high school and he only knew just enough to ask where the bathroom was in the politest way possible, so he didn't exactly know what Papí Chulo meant but his instincts told him that Lance had just called him a variation of, "Daddy". Allura's deep blush proved his instincts right.

Shiro groaned. Why was everyone calling him that? He didn't think he dressed like a Dad. Sure, he had his, "Dad" moments, but those were rare. And most of the time, he was right! Offense won championships, dammit.

"-and I know what her favorite flowers are." Oh, he forgot Lance was still talking. "Hunk is all set up for success. I'm the best wingman, and I got this, baby. Like I said, everyone is happy. Now it's time to take a brea-"

She interrupted him when she draped her arms over his shoulders with a smile. "You're doing a great job." She was stalling. "Have I ever told you that?" She was stalling _and_ she was sucking up.

"Many, many times, Lu," he answered. He slipped an arm around her waist, turned her around, and led her to the waiting food. "You can tell me how much you love me while you eat. I already fixed you a plate."

She let out a low groan. "Okay, wait, just give me one second," she pleaded while she detached herself from Lance and quickly walked in the opposite direction. "I just need to make sure there is enough to bring back to Coran. You know how much he loves Asian cuisine," she told him.

Lance's hand shot out to take a hold of her wrist to keep her from walking away. "I ordered his food and had it delivered to his office already," he explained.

"Excellent work, Lance!" she praised him, while she tapped him on the chest fondly. "I'm starting to think that being a manager is your calling."

"Yeah, I think so, too. But apparently, the only thing I'm not good at is getting _you_ to take a break," he told her. His tone was dancing on the edge of irritation.

Her eyes narrowed. She hated when Lance, or any of them, used guilt to get to her.

He let out a sigh. He knew that guilt trip wouldn't work against her. "Seriously, Allura. Tell me the last time you slept a full 8 hours?" He crossed his arms. "Go on, I'll wait."

She huffed. "If you must know, I slept quite a bit last night, as a matter of fact."

Lance threw his head back with a sarcastic laugh. The one he knew she hated. "Oh, the liiies you tell! Last night, you didn't go to bed until after 2 in the morning. How do I know that you may ask?" He pulled out his phone in a dramatic fashion. It was at that moment Shiro was positive that he and Matt would get along perfectly since they both apparently went to the Academy of being overly dramatic.

Lance scrolled through his phone as he searched for something in particular. When he found what he was looking for, he shoved his phone in her face. "Because your youtube video history says that the last video you watched as at," he paused to check the video's time stamp, "2:18 am. Pacific Time. It says here that you watched a video on calligraphy. Now what's so interesting about that?" he questioned her, slowly circling around her with his hand under his chin.

"Nice detective work, Lance," Nyma said dryly.

Lance winked at her. "They call me, Sherlock Holmes."

"I thought they called you, Mister Steal Yo Job?" Hunk chimed in between bites of his chicken.

"That's only on the weekends, Hunkules."

"It's Tuesday and you said that...maybe like 3 hours ago."

"Hunk!" Lance yelled offended. "Dude. My guy. Baby Boy. Hunkleberry. Stop."

Hunk held his hands up apology. "My bad. I'm just trying to clear things up. Continue with whatever it is that you think you're doing," he said before he turned his attention back to his food.

Lance looked back to Allura with a raised brow. He placed his hands on his hips and shifted his weight to one side. "So?" He raised a brow. "What's your excuse?"

She shrugged. "I needed to work on my penmanship."

Lance threw his hands up in disbelief. "What? Work on your penman- What? Are you kidding me? You must be because you write like you co-signed the Declaration of fuckin Independence. Every time you sign an autograph, I'm sure Nicolas Cage gets the urge to solve a bunch of bullshit riddles just so he can come steal it."

 _Yeah, he and Matt would be the best of friends._

"There is always room for improvement, Lance," she lectured him, purposely getting him off topic.

"See, that's what I'm talking about, 'Lu!" he said. "You're always... _doing stuff_."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of white peek out of a room to the far right. She made a mental note where the photographer was for later use. She smiled as she continued to walk the perimeter of the studio. "Well, of course, one of the many requirements of my job is to _do stuff,_ " she said with a laugh.

Lance felt his eye twitch. "You know what I meant. On top of you going to bed so late, you've been up since 6 this morning trying to get things ready for some meeting that's happening weeks from now."

She paused in her steps but didn't look towards him. "It's an important meeting," she defended.

"Yeah, a meeting that's happening in _three weeks_ ," he said blankly as he continued to count off all the things she's done wrong. By the way things were going, it looked like it was going to be a long list. "You said that you ate breakfast, but a single hot pocket doesn't count as a well-balanced breakfast. And it wasn't even a hot pocket, it was a shit lean pocket." His tone was disgusted as well as offended.

Allura opened her mouth to interject because he was wrong. It actually _was_ a hot pocket. She just put them in lean pocket packaging so that the others wouldn't eat it. She wanted to defend herself but she decided against it. She'd rather keep her secret stash a secret even if it meant another drawn-out lecture.

Shiro took a bite of his pad thai then shifted his attention to Allura's team. Most, if not all of them, had stopped eating their lunch to focus on the model and her manager. They didn't look too bothered, but considering the fact that Lotor had lectured her less than half an hour ago about the same thing, he could tell this wasn't the first time they all went through this.

Lance took a deep breath to calm his nerves then he reached out to grab one of her hands. "Listen Allura," he said in a soft tone. "I know that you like to control everything that you can get your pretty little-manicured fingers on. I know that you like to make sure everything is perfect. And I know that you like to put everyone else's needs above your own, but you need to learn when it's time to take a break. An hour is all I ask for," he was practically begging her. He brought her hand to his lips to place a tender kiss on her knuckles. "Just one."

Allura looked at him for a moment before she sighed and hung her head low in defeat. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Lance. I'm being difficult again, aren't I?"

"You are," Lance and her team said blankly in unison.

Allura felt her eye twitch at the mass betrayal.

"Fine," she said with folded arms. Allura knew when she was outnumbered. She allowed Lance to lead her to her the food waiting nearby. Just before she grabbed the plate, she froze and turned around. "Wait! One more thing, I promise!"

The mass groan that followed was almost deafening.

" _ **Allura."**_

The voice that spoke wasn't Lance's. It was Lotor's. His voice was deep, demanding and left no room for argument. Allura stopped and turned to face the man. He sat not far from the two with his legs crossed at the knew and his eyes narrowed. His own plate of food in his lap, untouched.

She folded her arms stubbornly and held his gaze for a second before she rolled her eyes. "Okay, Fine. Fine. I'll take a break." She walked heavily over to the table and lifted her plate and waved it around as if it were the white flag of surrender. "Are you all happy, now?" she asked with an annoyed tone.

"Yes," her team said in unison.

"No, no, no, wait, wait, hold up," Lance said as he continued to follow her around the studio. "So are you telling me that I just went through all of that to get you to sit down somewhere and Lotor just has to say your name all moody like and suddenly, you're all on board? What does he have that I don't?" He placed his hand over his chest. "Is my voice not _deep_ enough for you?" Ironically, his voice was increasing in octave the more he spoke. "Is it his accent? I bet it's his accent. If it's the accent, I can _totally_ do that accent." He started to clear his throat.

"Please don't, Lance," she told him, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Please don't, Lonce," he mocked her with a terrible imitation of her accent. It was trash and he knew it but damn his pride.

Allura narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that how I sound to you? Like some damsel in distress?" she asked. Picking up her chopsticks, she took a bite of her food. She frowned when her tongue met the cold temperature of her fried rice.

Lance snorted. "Don't make that face. It was hot when it arrived 16 minutes ago," Lance said, accent still as horrible as ever. He reached for her plate and dropped the accent. "Here gimme so I can heat it up."

She pulled the plate back away from him. "I can do that on my own, thank you very much," she told him quickly. Even though Lance knew she was teasing, his face fell at her response. Allura noticed his reaction immediately and sought to make it right.

She put her plate aside and rested her arms on his shoulders. "You know, I meant it when I told you that you were doing a great job today, Lance," she told him softly with a smile. "Everything is going absolutely perfect and I could not have asked for anything better." She took in a deep breath. "I know I am being stubborn and please forgive me for that. I just..." she looked away and caught her lip between her teeth.

He wrapped his arms around her with a smile. "It's okay, 'Lura, I know how you get. We all do. We just want the best for you. You like to protect us and believe or not, we want to do the same for you," he reassured her.

Grateful, she gave him a small smile. "I know Lotor won't admit it but you've made us very proud and I'm sure Coran would be proud of you as well." She smiled when she saw the way Lance beamed at her. She then pulled away from him and picked up her plate again. "Now excuse me. I am going to eat and take my hour-long break." She finished the sentence with a grumble and a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, Allura?" Lance called out after her. She turned back towards him and with a knowing smirk and a terrible British accent, Lance said, "Make it an hour and 20 minutes for putting me through all that bullshit." He kept his eyes on her as he backed away and gave her finger guns. He shot her twice with a click of his tongue and a shimmy of his shoulders. He quickly turned the corner out of her sight before she could retaliate with her slipper to the back of his head.

Shiro chuckled at the exchange between the two then he ducked back into his office. The bond she shared with Lance ran deeper than just employment. Their relationship was interesting but he knew they were being strictly platonic. He noticed that she was almost as playful with the other members of her team as she was with Lance.

To be honest, her team was just as impressive as she was. They did an excellent job at not only keeping the model up to speed but also making sure that all of the garments were picture perfect. And when they were done with their own tasks, they made it a priority to help Shiro's team with the sets. The two combined teams were an ideal match. In fact, they did their job a little too well considering the fact that they were way ahead of schedule. Every employee was working hard so the hour and 20-minute break would do everyone some good.

He took a bite of his food and he turned his attention back to the contract he'd set aside earlier. After the first sentence, he could already feel a migraine threatening at the back of his head.

He rubbed his temples. He liked to think of himself as a simple man, one who liked his coffee black and his whiskey neat. He was very straightforward when it came to business and he liked his world around him to imitate his lifestyle. This contract was anything but straightforward. It was a clusterfuck of words that he was sure that some snobby lawyer made up just to ruin his day.

He bit back a groan and reached around his draw for his reading glasses. Holy fuck, he was a dad. He groaned and once he had them on, he sucked in a breath and began to read it over again.

Absorbing the material was more difficult than he had imagined. It didn't help that every time he read over the document, the words would lose their meaning as he let his mind drift back to the model. He had never met anyone like her. She was gorgeous and didn't take herself too seriously. Unlike many of the models that he met over the years, he could tell that she loved her job and loved her employees even more.

She had the heart, the passion, and she definitely had the look to be a successful model. He knew that he would never get a shot with her. She was completely out of his league. Plus, he doesn't think that she would go for a one-armed vet with PTSD and a scar that claimed what was left of his good looks. If she had a type, he definitely wasn't it.

They only had one more shoot after the break and after today, they may never talk again. Deep down, he knew for her eyes would taunt him every time he went to sleep and her laugh would echo through his head at the worst possible moments. The ghost of her personality was sure to haunt him for the rest of his life and, well fuck, he was going to let it happen.

"My, my. Who would have thought that you would look so charming in glasses?"

 _Speak of the devil and she shall appear._

The familiar voice came from the doorway and her playful tone told Shiro that he didn't need to look at her to know that a smirk graced her lips. He turned in his chair to find her leaning against his doorframe. Her heated food in one hand and a mug in the other. Once again, he noticed that one of her shoes were missing. She did end up throwing it at Lance and now he held it hostage.

He laughed. "Charming, huh?" He watched her over the rim of his glasses. "My mom usually calls me handsome when I wear these, but charming sounds good, too," he said with a wink. Which was odd because he never winks. But she's been winking at him all day. He deserves to dish out a wink or two. Who knows, it might be his new thing.

 _Takashi, the Wink Master._

She cocked her head to the side. "Do you have something in your eye?" _Or not._

His face fell and she let out a laugh. "I'm kidding, of course," she told him. "However, winking isn't your thing. I'm telling you this as a friend."

"I can never tell you with," his voice low as he spoke the truth.

"Tell what?"

"If you're just kidding or not."

"Oh, you'll know if I'm being serious," she told him with a smile.

He raised a brow. "Will I?"

Her eyes pierced his and she dropped her smile. "Absolutely." Her voice lost its humorous tone. Shiro felt like she had left something unsaid but he was too out of touch with her to pick up on it. Her eyes brightened suddenly. "Care to have some company for lunch?" she asked him.

He felt his heart skip a beat but still managed to keep his cool. "I see Lance managed to drive you away." He gestured her in with his free hand.

She rolled her eyes. "You have no idea," she said, entering the office.

She looked around the space. It wasn't the best office she's ever seen but it was far from the worst. It was very minimalistic if that were the right term for the almost bare room. If it wasn't for his laptop, spreadsheets, and other office supplies on the desk in front of her, she would have thought it was just another room. "Well, isn't this cozy?"

He let out a rich chuckle. "I'm assuming by 'cozy', you mean small," he said as he cleared the items on his desk so she could sit atop it since his extra chairs were being used by the staff. "I wanted my studio to have as much room as possible, so I sacrificed my office space for it." He didn't mind the tiny space and it wasn't like he was in here much anyway since he did most of his paperwork at home.

When he finished clearing the space, he took her food and drink so she could hoist herself up to sit on his desk. When she was settled, he handed them back to her and took his seat.

It was times like this that he wished he had more confidence. Here he was, with the most beautiful girl he's ever seen sitting on his desk and he had no idea what to say. Sure, he grew accustomed to her antics but she was usually the one to start the conversation, not the other way around.

What should he say? Should he mention the weather? No, that's what old people did when they wanted attention. What to do? What to say? Think Shiro, think.

"You're a fucking dork," she said between bites of her calamari. "Did you know that?" She crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink. She laughed at his shocked expression. "Do I make you _that_ uncomfortable, Shiro?"

"What, no! You don't make me uncomfortable and I'm not a dork," he said in own defense. "I just don't know how to entertain people," he told her truthfully.

"Entertain? Are you calling me a child, Shirogane?" she questioned him.

"No, that's not the word I wanted. I don't know, I'm pretty…" he drifted off trying to think of the right word to describe himself.

"Bland?" she said to help him out. "Socially awkward? By the looks of this office, I could also say that you were basic."

"My office is not basic. It's minimalistic. It's a trend. You should look it up." He folded his arms and sat back with a satisfied grin. That'll teach her to call him basic. His office was not basic. His stapler was a nice shade of blue. If that didn't scream variety, then he didn't know what did.

She raised a perfectly arched brow. "Are you telling the supermodel to keep up with current trends?"

"I don't make the rules, Princess. I just follow them." He pointed to his outfit. "You see this shirt? It's a classic, long sleeved, black crew-neck from Old Navy's legendary 4th of July sale of 2014. I bought this at the absolute _height_ of fashion. And before you ask, yes. Yes, it is 58% cotton. The trend is to wonder what the other 42% is made from. It's a mystery and mysteries are always trendy. Just look at Scooby Doo. That show's been on the air for 50 years and it's _still_ getting reboots. See? Trendy." How he managed to keep a straight face, he had no idea.

She watched him in silence for a couple of seconds before she burst into laughter. "Yeah, you're totally a dork. Only dorks would say something as ridiculous at that." She continued to laugh and Shiro joined her.

"Seriously though, I'm not a dork. Dorks are different. I'm more of a -"

"A cutie," she cut him off and he swore his heart jumped just to punch him in the back of the throat.

Shiro felt his face heat up. "W-what?"

She pointed to the picture cube on his desk. The picture of his cat. "I said, 'what a cutie'," she repeated herself with a smirk. Shiro felt his breath leave him for maybe the third time that day.

Why was she like this? It was like her only purpose in life was to continuously fuck with him. If she keeps it up, she'll be the death of him. He'd gladly drown in those ocean blue eyes. And knowing him, he'd probably waste his final breath thanking her.

"Oh, that's my cat." While others might have a picture of their significant other or family members on their desks, Shiro had a picture of his cat. He had snapped her at her worst possible angles and framed it. Six times. One for each side of the cube. "She's a total sweetheart. She's just...big. And she purrs constantly, like a tiny lawnmower. Her favorite place to sleep is on my face. She's probably secretly trying to smother me while I sleep but that's okay. I know its out of love."

Allura cooed at his words. "That sounds absolutely adorable. What's her name?"

"Black."

Allura blinked. "You named your black cat, Black?" she questioned him slowly.

He shrugged. "You know how I'm really bad with jokes?" She nodded. That Catnado pun will stay with her forever. "Well, yeah, I'm even worse with names. It was supposed to only be a temporary name while we thought of a new one, but too much time went by and the name kind of just...stuck. My best friend calls her Thicc'ems. She answers to both without question. Honestly, if you have food and you give her eye contact, she'll come. She won't come running, but she'll show up."

She let out a laugh and Shiro could feel his heart melt. She pointed her chopsticks at him. "That's sort of kind of hilarious, actually," she confessed. She took a bite of her food. "Do you only have one pet?"

"Yeah, but she has a sister who belongs to my brother, Keith. He goes out of town a lot so I'll have to watch them both. But that tabby holds hellfire in her eyes."

"And what's her name?" Allura asked sarcastically, picking up a pea out of her rice. "Orange?"

Shiro kept his mouth shut and averted his eyes. Allura immediately caught on, "Oh Shiro, don't tell me…"

"...Red," he said awkwardly after a minute. "Hey, don't give me that look. You're judging me and my whole family, I can tell. At least her name isn't Orange," he told her. "That's just ridiculous."

Allura only shook her head. "So there's not only one dork but two?"

"Yeah, basically." He shrugged and took a drink of his water.

They fell into an easy silence for a couple of moments. He thought it would be as awkward as it was before but he felt at ease with her. She liked to tease him still but somehow it brought out his personality. Which was something he didn't normally do, especially not at work.

Feeling confident, he initiated the next topic. "So what made you become a model?" he asked curiously. He wanted to know more about her other than she was just a pretty girl. He knew there was something deep than that.

She finished chewing her food. "Honestly?"

He nodded.

"Spite," she said. Her voice devoid of any humor.

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

She looked off for a second before she answered. "When I was younger, I was always told by other kids that I wasn't pretty enough. People think that America is fucked up with their racial issues, but Britain is just as bad." She took another bite of her food. "I was teased constantly. My parents did all they could to console me, but they're my parents, that's what they're _supposed_ to do so it held no weight to me.

"So when I was old enough, I told my parents that I wanted to be a model. Of course, they were opposed to it. They were afraid that I would be rejected. They said that it was hard work, but I knew the real reason why - there weren't many models who looked like me. They just wanted to protect me and make sure I wasn't taken advantage of or heartbroken by the harsh reality of the fashion industry."

Shiro listened to her and it broke his heart. She was right, even today, there weren't a lot of models with her complexion.

"I went through a lot of rejection and discrimination over the years. I had to bring my own makeup to almost all of the fashion shows because the makeup artists didn't carry my shade and if they did, it was 8 shades too light. There were also plenty of times where I actually do my own makeup because they refused to learn how to work with my skin.

"Then one day, March 27th, winter of 2015. "She smiled as she recalled the exact date her life changed forever. "I finally got a my big break and landed a fashion show for one of the top designers in London. After that, my career blew up. I didn't become a model because I wanted too, I became a model because they told me I couldn't." She wore her accomplished smile like a fucking medal.

Shiro was blown away. "That's incredible. I guess they were right when they say that spite is the best motivation, huh?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess so." She took a sip of her tea. "I'm glad God made me this petty. Being in the position that I'm in, it gives me the power to encourage young girls and boys who were treated like me. I can show them that they too can defy the odds that are placed against them at birth. They can take that negativity and use it to better themselves."

Shiro nodded. "How did you come across Lance and Lotor?" he asked, completely wrapped up in her story.

"I met Lance while I was in Milan. He was the only makeup artist present and there were about 20 girls lined up, and he just...kicked ass. Every girl, regardless of their skin went out looking like, his words exactly, a bad bitch. I was immediately impressed with him, so I offered him a job. He's been with me for a little over a year now.

"And Lotor? Well, Lotor's always been around. We sort of grew up together. His father and mine are business partners. So I see him more as a brother, which I admit is quite weird since we pretend we're dating in the public eye."

Shiro let out a laugh. "Why do I feel like you two fought constantly as children?"

She smiled. "You wouldn't be wrong. We were the absolute worst. However, Lotor was always there for me. He would defend me against bullies and would even drive me to auditions when I didn't have a car. Lotor may seem like an asshole, and he is, don't get me wrong, because he most certainly is. But Lotor is a huge softie." She told him before she took a sip of her tea. "Did you happen to the see the girl he sat next to at lunch?"

Shiro thought back and he did recall the girl. She wore dark, baggy clothing and a hijab that covered her hair. Come to think of it, she stayed by his side all day. "Yes, I do recall her now that I think of it. She doesn't talk much."

"That's because she can't. She's mute," she clarified. "Lotor gave her a job as his personal assistant when he met her some years back. He taught himself and many others on my team, myself included, sign language so she wouldn't be left out of conversations. Lotor is a good person, he just has a funny way of showing it."

Her story about Lotor made him see the man different. He had no idea that Lotor would go through such lengths to make someone feel a part of the family.

Before he could start a new conversation, she started one for him. "So now it's your turn to tell me about yourself, Shiro," she said while she crossed her legs, one over the other.

"Huh?" He wasn't expecting that. He had asked her to share her story, so it was only fair that he returned the favor. No one has ever really asked him to talk about himself before. He didn't know where to begin. Should he start from when he was a baby? Or his hobbies? He didn't really have a lot. He liked to work out, but that's basic. Holy shit, she was right; he _was_ basic. He scratched the back of his neck to buy time.

"Good heavens, Shiro. Here, I'll make this easier for you," she told him as she inspected the cat cube again. "Did you always want to be a photographer?"

Shiro felt his heart stop. He started to fiddle with the chopsticks in his hand. "Actually no. I didn't always want to be a photographer. I was…" _Was_. He took in a breath to even his voice. "I was in the military. Umm, I-I was a pilot. I was a damn _good_ pilot. And I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And I, uh, I was shot down and...and there was a crash."

Shiro's eyes grew distant. Physically, he sat in front of her but mentally, he was years away, at a different time in his life. He's visited this place more times than he'd like and every time he came back, parts of him stayed behind. Flashes on twisted metal and flames consumed his mind. He remembers his own voice, raw from screaming. He could smell h-

A light, barely audible tap came from one of Allura's nails when it came in contact with the hard porcelain of her mug. It brought him back to reality. His eyes focused on her face and she watched him intensely. He had no idea how long he'd be out. She had been in the same position she was before. No, wait. She was no longer holding her chopsticks. Dammit. He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I - uh, don't remember much after that." He didn't want to meet her eyes after that. He hated seeing pity in the eyes of someone who's heard his story.

"I am truly sorry that you had to go through that." Most people usually followed those exact words with a touch to his shoulder and or a hug out of pity. He hated it every time. As if rehearsed countless times, his muscles teased as they waited for her to invade his space. He waited for a moment and when she made no attempt to move, he looked up at her.

She was no longer watching him but she was smiling warming. There was no pity in her eyes, only a warm invitation for him to continue with his story. He didn't owe her his story. He knew that and she knew it probably more than he did. But something told him that he could trust her.

So he continued to speak.

"After the crash, I got an honorary discharge from the military because my body was no longer useful to them," he said in a bitter tone. "I went to therapy for about a year. During that time, my therapist suggested that I needed to get out more. And she was right, I couldn't just mope around my apartment with one arm like Buzz Lightyear when he found out he was a toy." Allura let out a giggle at that and he couldn't help but smile. "Side story: One year for Halloween, Keith convinced me to go as Buzz's lowest point, Mrs. Nesbitt. I had the pink apron, the daisy hat, and everything!" He laughed thinking back on it.

At this, Allura let out a full blown laugh and clapped her hands together. "Oh God, did you have the accent? _Please_ tell me you had the accent?"

"I tried, but it sounded more like Austin Powers mixed with a shitty off-brand version of Mrs. Doubtfire. It was garbage, Allura. Pure Garbage. And I kept saying, 'baby' for some reason. I honestly don't know why I did that."

"But you had fun, didn't you?" she asked. "I bet all of the 90s kids were elated to see you portray such an icon."

He thought about it and yeah, she was right. It was the most fun he'd had since he lost his arm. As much as he didn't like to be the center of attention, he did it enjoy all of the laughter the costume caused.

He leaned back in his chair, visibly more relaxed than he was before. "I did, actually," he said with a deep laugh. "Okay, back to the story of my life." Unlike earlier, his voice held life that wasn't there just a few moments ago. He started talking as if he were telling a story about a trip to the grocery store and not the series of unfortunate events that lead him to her. "Anyway, my therapist said that I needed to find a hobby. There just happened to be photography classes held in the in the same building my therapist was in, I attended and I fell in love with it.

"Now, I won't lie to you, I didn't like it at first," he confessed. "I didn't find the thrill in taking sepia-toned pictures of lawn chairs. But I had already paid for 6 weeks worth of classes and it was nonrefundable, so I was in it for the long run. After a while, I started to see the beauty in things that I never saw before. It was amazing. It was almost like it had happened overnight. I started to see the world through new eyes and I never wanted to go back.

Allura nodded and she looked distant for a second, before he could blink, she was back to listening intensely to him.

"I started to do kid's birthday parties, then, later on, I started getting hired for weddings. Then, like you, I found by big break when some big shot company saw my work and hired me to take photos of buildings for promotional reasons. Eventually, I moved on from buildings to people. I started making a name for myself and the rest is history." He started to talk with his hands more as if they helped expressed his joy. Allura thought it was cute.

"During this time, about 2 years after the crash, I got this offer from this prestigious tech company. They pulled my file up from my time in the military. They were fitting soldiers who had lost limbs in combat with highly functionally prosthetics and apparently, I was the right build for it. That's where I met my best friend, Matt. He was a part of the team who helped design it. 27 hours of surgery later, I woke up with this bad boy." He rolled up his sleeve on his prosthetic arm and flexed his mechanical fingers for show.

Allura's eyes widened and he immediately put his arm away, hiding it from her view. He got caught up in the story and forgot that everybody just can't handle a sudden bombshell like that. "Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"May you show it to me again?" she asked curiously.

 _Well, that's never happened before._

Slowly, he lifted his arm and brought it in front of her, as if he were afraid that she might react negatively like other models he'd photographed in the past if he moved too quickly. Keeping his distance, he watched her carefully for any sort of indication that she was uncomfortable with its proximity to her.

She huffed at how far away he was sitting. She set her plate aside and scooched over to get a better look. Her eyes shined with curiosity as she brought her hand up towards it. She stopped just shy of touching it and suddenly her eyes met his. "May I?" her voice was a whisper but just shy of a giddy child asking permission to touch something they really wanted. Other than Katie and small children who thought he was a robot, he's never seen someone so eager to see, let alone touch, his prosthetic.

He didn't trust his voice right now so he swallowed hard and nodded slowly. Carefully, she touched the cold metal with a delicate touch. He could tell that she wasn't afraid that he might hurt her but rather she was afraid that she would cross the line with him. "You won't break it," he encouraged her. "Go on. Do what you gotta do."

She beamed like the fucking sun. His permission was all she needed before she edged closer to him and lifted his hand up so she could fully inspect the prosthetic. She ran her hand down his forearm, traveling over the ridges and sleek lines and eventually grazing over his knuckles. Shiro knew he couldn't feel her touch but it didn't stop the shivers that raced up his spine.

"It's absolutely exquisite," she said breathless, completely captivated by it. She held his hand in both of hers and pressed her thumbs to the center of his palm. "It's craftsmanship is impeccable. Is it heavy?"

"No, not really," he said. "But the first few weeks or so, I couldn't find my balance with it. I'm used to it now." He also constantly crushed and knocked over everything like he was fucking RoboCop but he was going to keep that to himself for now.

"I see," she said. She leaned down while she brought his hand closer to her ear. "Can you flex your fingers?" He did what she asked and she smiled when she heard the soft hum of the gears turn within the machinery.

He couldn't help but smile at her reaction. He would have never thought that'd he'd ever be in a situation like this. He had a fear of rejection but she was absolutely fascinated by it. The eagerness in her eyes told him that she's been waiting all day to get the chance to see it up close.

Her delicate fingers began to travel upward. She stopped just short of his bicep. Her fingers grazed the edge of his shirt that hid the juncture where metal met flesh.

Her eyes met his again, silently asking for permission to venture further. He normally didn't like to let people see it because it was an absolute mess. He too hated seeing it. It was a brutal reminder of the man he once was. But he trusted her because surprisingly, this is the calmest he's been around her all day.

"Go ahead," he told her.

Her fingers grazed over his shirt before she carefully folded it back to expose the fused area. He couldn't watch her face for her reaction because he knew what it would look like. He's seen that face so many times, that the expression is burned into his memory.

He flinched when her hands touched his skin. Immediately, she drew her hand back afraid that she had caused him any pain. "No, do you didn't hurt me. Your hands are just cold."

That was a fucking lie.

Her hands were like fire and he felt his soul catch ablaze.

 _Don't do this, Shiro. Don't lose your cool._ He told himself. The Lord was testing him but he knew he was a bad student.

"This is absolutely ingenious," she said more to herself than anything. "I would love to meet the person who helped design this. Matt, was it?" she asked him.

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, that man is an absolute genius. His only rival is probably his little sister." His was hoping that his voice didn't sound as strained as he felt.

She ran her fingers over a particular deep scar. "...It doesn't still hurt does it?" she asked softly.

"97% of the time, no," he answered.

"...And the other 3%?"

"It's agony," he answered truthfully. The weight of his words crushed her. He could tell that she wanted to do something to help but knew she was powerless against it. This wasn't her burden, it was his.

She continued to caress the juncture and he found himself leaning into her touch. It was then he realized just how close they were now. There was so many, "what if" variables that would have made this situation a whole lot different.

If it wasn't for the desk, she could have been in his lap inspecting him. If he had any feeling in his arm, he would have noticed sooner that it rested casually in her lap. If it wasn't for the position and the weight of his arm, then it wouldn't have made her robe rise up just a tad, exposing the smooth brown skin of her thighs. If it wasn't for the way her fingers danced on his skin, it wouldn't have left goosebumps in their wake. If it wasn't for the fact that she was perfect in every way possible, his heart wouldn't be pounding so hard right now. If it wasn't for-

A soft knock from behind him interrupted his thoughts. Shiro's head snapped to the door and Allura, rather than putting distance between them to save face from getting caught in such an intimate position, stayed put and discreetly rolled down Shiro's sleeve to his wrist. It only was his employee, Shay. She had seen his arm plenty of times, but there was something about the way Allura wanted to protect him. She knew she had his permission, but just in case no one else did, she didn't want him exposed. He was right - he could trust her.

"H-hi," Shay said shyly while she stood outside the door. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Allura smiled at how cute this girl was. Yes, Hunk definitely wasn't leaving this building without her number.

"No, you're okay. What's up, Shay?" he asked as he stood and approached her.

"There's a delivery here for you, but I don't remember us ordering anything recently. I just wanted to make sure to run it by you before I added it to the inventory," she fiddled with her fingers while she spoke and a light blush came to her cheeks. Did their positioning look _that_ bad?

"Sure, no problem. I'll be right there to check it out," he told her. He turned back to look at Allura who hadn't moved from her spot. "I'll be right back. Anything you need from the kitchen?" he asked as he took their now empty plates.

She shook her head. "No, I should be fine. Thank you."

He discarded their paper plates and he went to check what Shay was talking about. Turns out, he did order a package. It was another lens. However, he had meant for it to be delivered to his apartment and not his studio. He must have used the wrong shipping address. He explained the mix-up to Shay and thanked her for asking for clarification before it went into their inventory.

He tucked the box under his arm and made his way back to Allura his office. Before he went back, he stopped by the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee that someone made just minutes before. When he returned to his office, Allura was reading over something. He placed the box on his desk and sat back down in his chair. He took note that Allura was just as close as she was before he left.

If she made no effort to put distance between them, then why should he?

She took a sip of her drink before she addressed him, "I know this company. My father used to do business with them," she told him as she scanned over the lines. "Be careful, they are known to be...less than fair. I don't want them to take advantage of you."

He let out a sigh. "That's what I'm afraid of. That contract is full of words that make absolutely no sense to me. It might as well be some alien language. Keith told me that I should hire a lawyer for these sorts of things, but lawyers are expensive."

Allura laughed. "That's exactly what they are doing with this contract: trying to confuse you. It's a tricky language," she said as she flipped the page over, "but I could go over this for you if you'd like. I'm used to these types of things. My mother was a barrister who specialized in international law and human rights and my father is a business tycoon. I was raised to read contracts."

"You don't have to do that," he told her even though there was a part of him that really wanted to get out of reading this contract.

"But I want to. I promise I won't leak any secrets you may have," she told him with a wink and she held out her pinky.

He smiled. "I just don't want Lance to come in here and find you working when he deliberately told you to take a break. He's gonna kick my ass."

"Can you can take him."

He sighed as he extended his pinky finger to lock with hers. He shook it once then leaned back in his chair before joined his hands behind his head. "Well then, by all means, be my guest, Princess."

While she read through the contract, Shiro went through his camera filtering out the shots that he was going to send to the magazine company and the ones he was going to delete. Considering how almost every shot was perfection, he had a hard decision to make because he couldn't just send all of them. He wondered if other photographers had the same problem with her as he did.

Suddenly made a noise that caught his attention. "Okay so, here is what concerns me. I knew they would try to pull something like this." Shiro put aside his camera and leaned into her, ready to give her his full attention.

She pointed to a specific section of the contract. "Here under section 6 of organizational expenses, it states that all organizational expenses shall be paid by the partners pro rata. However, pro rata doesn't make any sense, because you don't want to pay equally as the company when they are much larger and more capable of paying. It would be better for the partnership to allocate funds for the project and have the partnership pay the organizational expenses. With a reimbursement in place for what each partner expenses out of their personal accounts," she explained effortlessly as if she were explaining basic math.

She narrowed her eyes. "Also, I'm not sure if you want to agree with Section 4 allocation of profits." She held out her hand, "Lend me a pen, please?" He did and she started to circle numbers throughout the document. "See here? Here, it states that you will earn only 15% of the total profits. However, this doesn't make sense when you read section 2: contributions to capital of partnership. Where it states that you will be paying 30% of the expenses while doing the majority of the photography. It would be better for you to receive a greater share of the profits because you are doing all the work. You need to make sure to cover your expenses and make a profit off of the work."

 _Holy fuck._

Shiro stared at her with wide eyes. "Wow, that was amazing. You're way better at this than I am," he told her. She made it seem so easy and if he was being honest, he sort of dumb. She probably thought he was illiterate now.

"I told you, this is nothing for me," she said while leaning back with her hands flat on his desk. "I was raised around contracts." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And don't you dare assume that I think any less of you. This company is notorious for ripping people off. As long as you make sure you know what you're signing and call them out on their bullshit with the revisions needed, then you should be set."

"Thanks again." He smiled while he put away the contract for later. "If being a model doesn't work out for you, then you'd definitely make a kickass lawyer."

She laughed but it didn't reach her eyes. "And have my father say, 'I told you so'? No, thank you. Besides," she edged closer to him, "being a model is too much fun. I get to travel the world, experience different cultures, meet cute photographers…" she finished with a sly smirk.

He rose a brow. "So you think I'm cute?" When did he get so bold? She must be rubbing off on him.

"I've met many photographers in my line of work. What made you think I was talking about you?" she asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"I don't know. I got a feeling."

She made a pleased sound. "If I am being honest, you are fairly attractive." She cupped her mug with both hands before she took a sip. The tea lost its heat long ago but she still liked the taste of it.

"Fairly attractive?" he repeated. "What is that? Like a 5?"

Taken aback, she furrowed her brows together. "A 5? Shiro, on a scale of 1 to 10, do you honestly believe that you are a 5?"

He shrugged. "Okay, maybe a 4? Because of the scar?"

Her smile fell as she watched him for a moment. She then set aside her tea and leaned towards him. Reaching out, she cupped his face and used her fingers to trace over the deep scar embedded on the bridge of his nose. Shiro immediately found himself leaning into her touch again because he doesn't think he's ever felt hands so soft. He prayed to the good Lord above that his face wasn't on fire and that the pounding of his heart wasn't as loud as he thought it was.

Whatever spell she has on him, he hopes it never breaks because he's never felt like this in his entire life. Maybe because he's never met anyone like her. Just about everything about her enchanted him. The way her eyes would shine with mischief whenever she talks to him or the way her hair falls in celestial waves around her. Maybe it was how her intelligence gave her the confidence he wishes he had and the way she wasn't afraid to be silly. And...and there was something else...something important...but her soft touches were dangerously distracting.

She continued to trace on his scar with light, careful touches. Slowly her fingers left his nose before they ghosted over his cheeks and wandered down to trace his jawline before finally settling under his chin. A firm pull upwards forced him to look up.

As soon as his eyes met hers, she leaned in closer to him. For a second, he thought she was going to kiss him but she stopped just short of his lips and spoke softly instead. "Many scars fade with time and the ones that don't, they build character. They are proof that you have been hurt and they are proof that you have been healed. Most importantly, they are proof that you survived." All traces of her usual mischief was gone, leaving only her genuine response.

How long they had stayed like that, he had no idea. Then somewhere in the hallway, a whistle went off. Where Lance had found that whistle, again Shiro had no idea. All he knew is that he loathes it at the moment. Had it been an hour and 20 minutes already? Where did the time go? Slowly, Allura backed away from him and he immediately missed her hands on him.

She hopped down from his desk and stretched her limbs. "I suppose that's the end of our break. I'll see you shortly," she told him and made her way to the door. Shiro still sat there with wide eyes watching her as she walked away.

Before she left his office, she turned with a flip of her hair. "Oh, and Shiro?" Her teasing tone came back full force. Whatever she was going to say next, Shiro knew it was going to ruin him. "If anything, the scar makes you a solid 10," she told him with a wink and then she was gone.

Shiro could only watch the empty doorway. As he tried to make his heart stop beating so fast, he suddenly remembers what else he liked about her.

 _She didn't pity him._

He couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face before he went to help his crew set up.


End file.
